Electric furnace



March 19, 1929.

J. c. WOODSON ,697

ELECTRIC FURNACE Filed Oct. 20, 1927 ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 19, 1929.

v UNITED s'rATEs 1 1,705,697 PATENT ()FFICE.

JAMES G. WOObSON, 0F SFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATIQINQF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC? romance.

I Application filed October 20. 1927. ,Serial No. 227,418;

My invention relates to electric furnaces and more particularly to furnaces of the electrical-resistance type.

In furnaces of the above type, difficulty has been experienced. in the removal and replacement of heating elements in the event of the failure thereof. In a usual installation of this type, it is necessary to allow thefurna-ce to cool down to afford access to the'damaged element and, in some cases, it is necessary to tear out a portion of the furnace wall. These conditions are particularly aggravated when the heating element is supported ad acent tofthe roof of the furnace chamber Where 1t 18 mherently inaccessible.

It is an object of my invention, therefore, to

provide, in a furnace of the above-mentioned type, means for removing a damaged element from, and the insertion of a new element into,v

operative position in a heated furnace cha mber, whereby .shut-down of the furnace, 1ncident to the failure of a heating element, is substantially avoided.

In practicing my invention, I provide, in an electric-resistance furnace employing a preformed sinuous resistor removably supported therein and an-opening in the furnace sidewall in lateral alinement therewith, a manually operable rack adapted to be inserted through said opening and intoreleasable enagement with said resistor to facil tate the fiandling thereof.

In the drawings; Figure 1 is a side elevation of a furnace to which the present invention is applicable. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a resistor-handling means constructed in accordance with my invention,'and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, a portion'of a furnace side-wall 2 is provided with an opening 4 adjacent to the roof .thereof. A supporting frame 6 extends laterally of the furnace chamber and is supported from the side walls thereof, in alinement with the opening 4, in any suitable manner. A plurality of resistor-supporting bars 8, having serrated upper faces, providing a plurality of projections for spacing the convolutions of the resistor, are supported b the frame 6 in operative position- The si es of the frame 6, extending laterally of the furnace chamber, are relatively high so that, with the bars 8 in operative position, the sides of the frame extend considerably above the level of the bars, for a purpose hereinafter described.

The heating element 10 comprisesa preformed sinuous resistor ribbon or rod adapt ed to be supported upon the bars 8 in such a manner that the return-bent portions of the resistor engage the serrated upper faces thereof and are maintained in spaced relation thereby. p

-In the preferred construction, a resistor support 6 is mountedupon the two furnace side-Walls, and the resistor element 10, there- 'fore, is substantially co-extensive in .width with the width of thefurnace chamber. It is to be understood, of course, that a plurality of elements 10 may be laterally juxtaposed 'longitudinally of the furnace chamber with appropriate furnace wall openings 4 for each element. with the resistor in operative position, the opening 4 is closed in any suitable manner to prevent the'leakage of heat therethrough.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2,

rack for handling the resistor comprises a bar 12, of any appropriate material having the necessary structural strength, and having rods 14 and 16 journalled transversely therein. The rod 14 is Journalld adjacent to one end of the bar 12, and the rod 16 is spaced therefrom a distance substantially equal to the width of the heating element.

A plurality of hooks 18 are rigidly secured to the rods 14 and 16, with the hook portions thereof extending in opposite directions.

Rotation of the rods 14 and 16 is effectedsimultaneously by means of lever arms 20 rigidly secured thereto and connected at their outer extremities to tie-rods 22 which are, in turn, connected to an actuating wheel 24 rotatably mounted upon the bar 12. Rotation of the wheel 24 is effected by a manually operable lever 26 pivoted to the bar 12 and operatively connected to the wheel 24 by a tierod 28.

It is clear, therefore, that upon movement of the lever 26 to the dotted-line position, as shown in Fig. 3, the wheel 24 will be rotated in a clockwise direction which will result in a the. hook portions 18 on the pivoted rods 14 Cir the resistor-engaging portion of the rack is inserted therein with the hooks 18 in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. In the inward movement of the rack, the ends of the rods 14 and 16 slide along the face of the sides of frame 6 vto maintain the rack in proper alignment with respect to the bars 8. The rack is then lowered to bring the hooks 18 between the adjacent convolutions of the resistor, and the lever 26 is depressed, thereby bringing the hooks into operative supporting engagement with the return-bent portions of the resistor. The rack and the resistor are then raised out of engagement with the supporting bars 8, and then may be removed, as a unit, from the furnace chamber.

When a new resistance element is to be placed in the furnace chamber, the reversc operation takes place. The rack and resistor are inserted, as a unit, into the chamber into alinement with the projections 8 of the resistor support 6. The lever 26 is then raised, effecting the release of the hooks from the convolutions of the resistor. The rack is removed through the opening 4. The terminals of the resistor, when in operative position, extend through the opening 4 and may be connected to a suitable source of electrical energy. The opening 4 is then closed in a suitable manner.

Quite obviously, my invention should not be restricted to resistance elements supported as shown, but is equally applicable to the handling of elements supported from the floor and side-walls of a furnace. Further, it is obvious that changes in the arrangement of the hooks 18 may be made to adapt the device for use with resistance elements of various configurations.

By my invention, I have provided a means for efficiently handling a resistance element during the insertionthereof into, and the removal thereof from, a furnace chamber which is positive in operation, rugged in construction and relatively inexpensive.

Various modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art and set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. Means for handling a preformed sinuous resistance heating element for insertion into or removal from an electric furnace, comprising a rack and means pivotally mounted upon said rack for removably engaging the return-bent port-ions only of said resistance element in supporting relation.

2. Means for-handling a preformed sinuous resistance heating element for insertion into or removal from an electric furnace, comprising a rack, means pivotally mounted thereon for removably engaging the returnbent portions .only of said resistance element in supporting relation, and means carried by said rack for actuating said pivoted means into and out of engagement with said resistor.

3. Means for handling a preformed resistance' heating element for insertion into, or removal from, an electric furnace comprising a rack, a cross member journalled therein adjacent to one end thereof, a second cross member journalled in said rack and spaced from said first cross member, resistor-engaging hooks secured .to said cross members and means carried by said fork for simultaneously rotating said journalled members in opposite directions.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 30 day of Sept, 1927.

JAMES o. WOODSON. 

